


Dear Doctor

by Amemait



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Background Character, GFY, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2013-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-20 11:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/886709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amemait/pseuds/Amemait
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pity the doctor, for Seto Kaiba signs his paychecks. It's a fate he shares with many other employees, but most of them don't have other lives in their hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Went To Foster

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first 'real' fic I wrote. I present it in its unrewritten form (with the exception of one word which I understand is not used multinationally, and possible minor punctuation edits as I come across them).

Dear diary,  
  
No, that sounds too sissy. Twink it out later.  
  
Dear Journal,  
  
Well, it's official. Those duel disks are just far too dangerous! I have one boy in a room already because of them. I don't blame Kaiba-sama, Kami-sama forbid! I'm very grateful for this job as head of his personal medical staff, but... those holograms... I'm positive that the reality of their appearance and abilities, if monsters can be considered real, have played some part in this occurrence.  
  
Back to the boy in the coma. Apparently, his name is Bakura Ryou. I checked, he's supposed to be at Domino Hospital, resting. He's suffering serious blood-loss from a gash in his arm, a knife wound, by the looks of it. He may have Tetanus just for that! Add to that his recent Duel against Motou-san, a friend of his. Apparently, the boy collapsed towards the end. Motou-san won, and now I have a very sick boy on board. He should live though. Another of his friends, Mazaki-san, is with him. She has been told to alert me should he wake. Really, he should keep sleeping, but if he woke, it would at least assure me that his concussion from those shockwaves was not great enough to put him into a true coma.  
  
Something seems... Odd, about the boy. I watched the match, and everything about him seemed to suggest a level of insanity that would make Freud weep, up until the point where he collapsed. Motou-san changed his attitude completely, almost as though the boy who was on the ground was not the same one as the boy he had been dueling only moments before. Then, like magic, the insanity was back, and Motou-san attacked Bakura-san.  
  
It is a ruthless game they play, is it not?  
  
Will write more later, I need to go and check up on Bakura-san.  
  
Later:  
  
And they've done it again! I am beginning to wonder if anyone shall be left conscious on this blimp by the time this tournament is over! The second Duel, and another injury. Or, should I say, another couple of injuries. Jounouchi-san did not escape unharmed, but... Gah, I don't even know his name! I currently have him listed in my files as 'Tattoo'. Not very original, I will admit, but I need to call him something.  
  
I believe that Tattoo-san is another victim of those holograms. I'm no meteorologist, but I've dated a few, and that 'thunderstorm' started far too quickly. While it is true that only those on the Dueling Arena were harmed, the guard wasn't, and, after all, lightning never strikes in the same place twice, as it did in order to get to Jounouchi-san.  
  
After tending to Jounouchi-san's less than substantial injuries, and making sure that Tattoo-san was well cared for, I went up topside. There were no scorch marks from where the 'lightning' had hit.  
  
I beginning to worry that I am going insane, that this is all some kind of a bad dream. Earlier, while I was going back to look in on Bakura-san, I saw a flickering shadow, almost as though there was another leaving the room, one wearing a cape and turban. It is silly, I know, however...  
  
Whoops, there goes my watch. It's time to check on Tattoo-san again.


	2. Miss Polly Had A Dolly

Dear Journal,

Urgh, my head... And I've lost my Swipe Card! Thank Kami-sama I always keep a spare in my office, but even so! That person... What hair! Surely that can't be right! Blonde and spiky, a little like Motou-san's... Manic lavender eyes...

Odd. Now that I come to think about him, I can't remember who... he... was...

What was I writing about?

Never mind. White it out later.

Hmm. Note to self. Never attempt to write in this thing after... what was it? Fainting? My heartbeat and breathing rate haven't changed. Hitting my head hard enough to black out? Possible, but there's no mark or bruise to indicate this. Dizzy spell? Plausible enough on this blimp, with the air-pressure the way it is.

Maybe I should ask one of my nurses to give me a quick check. It probably wouldn't be a good thing for me to faint again, things on this blimp being the way they are. Meantime, I'm off to get a couple of Panadol and a glass of water.

Later:

Well, it seems my prediction has come true. There are three Duelists in various hospital beds on this blimp. This one appears to by in a coma, although, from what I overheard, the friends of Kujaku-san believe that she has had her soul taken away to some sort of 'Shadow Realm'. I have resisted the urge to tell them otherwise. Children have such vibrant imaginations! And their feelings are easily hurt into the bargain.

I was not able to see what happened in this Duel. A major power surge unexpectedly stopped all visual and audio equipment from the Dueling Arena. I can only take the children's words that Ishtal-san is to blame for all for of the injuries that have happened on this trip, from that 'thunderstorm', to Kujaku-san's coma. I will admit, Ishtal-san does look like he had some part in Bakura's arm, but that's just a feeling. And I know that he was Dueling Kujaku-san when she fell into this coma.

The thing is, there was no reason for her to fall into a coma in the first place. There is no sign of drugs in her system, and I doubt that it's blood loss. There is no wound on her, save for a few that look like burns, and I have treated accordingly. They weren't there before the Duel... What is going on here?

Later:

Finally, a Duel that didn't end in anyone being hurt. This is fantastic. I always prefer that people don't get hurt in the first place, than have to treat them after the fact, even though it is how I make my living. Thank Kami-sama that this time there wasn't any.

Kaiba-sama really should get some rest. Master Mokuba told me that his older brother has not been sleeping well recently. I can only wonder what can be keeping him up. A light is still on in his quarters, and I considered going in there to tell him to get some rest, but decided against it. Much as I wish to ensure the good health of everyone, I value my life.


	3. First, Do No Harm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pan-arabic in this chapter was checked by a native speaker. I specify pan-arabic here, but my friend assured me at the time that the Modern-Egyptian-Slang would be mostly the same, merely with a slight accent on these particular words.

Dear Journal,

Oh my! How can this have happened! We were at cruising height, then we suddenly hit... something! I'm not too sure what, but I gat the distinct impression that we're in trouble now.

I need to get a grip on myself. It was probably just turbulence, only to be expected when flying in something this size. Although, I will admit, clouds, and therefore air-pockets, don't tend to form too far away from land. See what I meant about dating a few meteorologists?

One of the security guards acquired a broken arm during our sudden descent. His file identifies him as Gregory Mathews. Why Kaiba-sama has been hiring American guards is beyond me. That sort of thing takes away from our economy. But I'm not one to judge, I'm sure that Kaiba-sama has his reasons. In any case, the break is nothing too serious, just a simple transverse fracture of the humerus. I've got the arm immobilised, and the fracture is stable, so there should (Kami-sama willing) be no problems. I'm thankful that his is the most serious injury. One of my nurses managed to sprain his wrist, but he'll be fine. I checked, and it (thankfully) wasn't a Colles' fracture. I think Nurse Omi likes getting to play the part of the invalid rather than the caregiver for once, particularly as it means Nurse Hana will be keeping an eye on him. To tell the truth, I think she's got a bit of a thing for him, but she's far too professional to let this get in the way of her work. I do know that Omi-san would much rather that Hana-san kept both her eyes on him.

We seem to be landing, so I'll write more later. I need to check in one Kujaku-san in any case.

Later

There's no change in Kujaku-san. I've been hoping against hope that it was a concussion, but the chances of that are growing slimmer by the second. She hasn't stirred, and the lack of REM rules out an exhausted deep sleep.

I can't think of any cause for this behaviour, I really can't. Perhaps the children are right when they mention this 'Shadow Realm'. Anything is possible. How else would the son of a farmer become a doctor?

I really should refrain from making personal notes in this journal.

Ah, who am I kidding? I'm the only one who'll ever find it partway legible, not even the chemists have been able to read my handwriting. I'm not too sure if that bodes well for any prescriptions I write though. Hm. Note to self – work on handwriting skills.

One more note, then I really must look in on Bakura-san and Tattoo-san. It probably isn't of any relevance to my capacity aboard this vessel, but I was passing by Isis-sama's room, and I heard a distinctly male voice talking in Arabic. I know it was Arabic because my roommate during medical school taught me a few words. I heard 'laa' quite a bit, 'tin-neen', and finally 'maoot'. Then I couldn't find any more excuses to stay and listen at the door.

I have to wonder though – what does that conversation bode for the people on this blimp? I can but hope that no one else shall suffer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Medical translations:
> 
> Simple transverse fracture of the humerus: A closed (simple) fracture to the upper arm (humerus). Transverse fractures are caused by a powerful direct or angular force, and is merely a clean break, straight across the width of a bone. This type of fracture is usually stable.
> 
> Colles' fracture: This happens when someone cushions a fall with their wrist, but does it badly. The radius and occasionally the tip of the ulna is broken, i.e., the very end of the lower arm, just where it joins the hand.
> 
> Concussion: A hard blow or violent jarring injury of the brain resulting in disturbance of cerebral functioning (vertigo or loss of consciousness).
> 
> REM: Rapid Eye Movement, occurs in real sleep.
> 
> Arabic translations:
> 
> Laa: No.
> 
> Tin-neen: Dragon
> 
> Maoot: Death.


	4. I Swear By Apollo

Dear Journal,

In a strictly medical sense, to lose a patient is to let them die, mainly during an operation. There are other ways to lose them (e.g., have them move to another area, or change their regular doctor), but that's the main way.

As I said, there are ways and ways again to lose a patient, but I think that these cases should take the cake. I understand that it is fully possible to lose a patient in a hospital (how else would Bakura-san have gotten out?), but losing them on a confined blimp with only one exit, with said exit guarded?

Now that's a talent.

Perhaps I should get to the point.

TWO OF MY PATIENTS ARE MISSING! LITERALLY!

And the third is stuck in an inexplicable coma.

WOE IS ME!

What am I going to say to Bakura-san's parents; "So sorry, but whilst your son was under my care, he mysteriously vanished. Please, forgive me"?

What sort of an excuse is that?

I was briefly tempted to pretend that Tattoo-san had never existed, as there seem to be no records of him, beyond entering the Battle City tournament, and even I can tell that it's a pseudonym. After all, who would name their child after a Nordic God? Not very many people, and I doubt anybody living in Egypt. Well, it's kind of obvious that 'Balder' is from Egypt. Even I know what an Ankh is. I decided against any pretence. It's my job to keep people healthy, and preferably safe. The Hippocratic Oath is never to be taken lightly.

Never.

I've alerted the guards as to the matter of the two escapees. I can only hope that they shall both be found.

Later

I have nothing new to report about Kujaku-san's condition. That's the long and short of it.

I don't ask for much. Most of my salary goes either to my father or to various charities. I work hard. I've never disobeyed the Oath.

All I ever want in return is the joy that comes from helping people. That's all.

Sure, I'm only human. That's all that anybody is.

I've always been sceptical when it comes to prayer and faith healing, but I'm almost at my wits end when it comes to Kujaku-san.

To any gods of healing who may or may not be listening, I implore thee: Help her.

Don't let her die.

Hm.

I wonder if there are any patron gods of finding things?

Ahem.

To any gods of finding that which is lost (if there even are any. Please let there be at least one), who may or may not be listening, please smile down upon myself and the security guards, and allow them to find Tattoo-san and Bakura-san.

Um...

Okay, how about this: Oh great and powerful Ianus, guardian god of doorways... can you help me out here? Just after a sign, anything, seriously. You know wherefore each person goes, and you watch them as the travel through doorways and passages.

Maybe I'm pushing it. Mayhap it's all really Ianus' fault. He is also the god of Chaos, after all; perhaps he's just trying to turn everything around me into an extension of his first domain.

That's going a trifle overboard, I think.

Why have my thoughts suddenly turned to myths and gods?

Would that I knew. Unlike Ianus, I cannot see into the past and future.

Yep. Thought so. I need a coffee. Too bad I can't have one. Even the slightest of tremors that the caffeine could give me would have disastrous results if I had to perform surgery.

On this blimp, at this time, I think that's a distinct possibility, don't you?

Why am I asking questions of my journal?

I must really need that coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Hippocratic Oath is the oath taken by anybody entering the medical profession. It's named after the Ancient Greek healer (and later Patron god thereof) Hippocrates. 'I swear by Apollo, the healer', forms the title of this collection. Apollo is my favourite of the Greek/Roman gods (he's also one of the few who don't change their names between the two pantheons), closely followed by his sister Artemis/Diana, and Ianus. This last is a purely Roman/Etruscan creation.
> 
> In addition to being the healing god, Apollo was also a god of prophecy, the sun (Artemis is the moon goddess) and of music. He is sometimes even depicted as a god of mischief, and, in one or two cases, a bringer of death.
> 
> Ianus (More commonly known as Janus, and pronounced Yane-us) was the Two-faced god of doorways and passages. In a few versions, he was also known for being able to see the past and future, whilst managing to keep watch over those in the present. In the very beginning, he was also Chaos itself, hence 'the first of his domains'. He also looked after communication, and as Portunus was the god of harbours. This made him the inventor of navigation. The month of January is named for him. His temple stood as a symbol of war or peace. Were the gates open, Rome was at war. Should they be closed (this didn't happen very often), then Rome was at peace.
> 
> Last but not least, the death of Balder was the beginning of the End, a prelude to the day of Ragnarok, the doom of the Gods. In addition to that reason for name-choice, I've always found his name amusing, and Rashiid is rather bald.


	5. vivo spes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title (Latin): I live in hope

Dear Journal,

Isis-sama has informed me of 'Balder's' (whose name has turned out to be 'Rashiid', by the way, no known surname) whereabouts, and I have managed to perform a checkup. She says that he had to be hidden for his own safety, and that her brother is attempting to kill him. Well, I'm afraid that this just confirms most of my suspicions about Ishtal-san. I could have lived without knowing that at least one of the people on this blimp was a homicidal maniac. I mean, I guessed about Jounouchi-san's past as a gang member (when somebody has medical records like his, it's pretty obvious), but I think this is pushing it!

In any case, Rashiid-san is healing well. I was worried about a few of those burns, but they're all – surprisingly – fine. I have agreed to Isis-sama's request that she continue to care for him. If her brother truly is after Rashiid – and I do not doubt Isis-sama's word – then he is best left with her.

Isis-sama has also told me that Bakura-san is safe, and perfectly well. She has not, however, told me where he is, with the excuse that I wouldn't believe her.

\--

Later…

Everybody is back on the blimp, and none of them look the worse for wear. We have just received a ship-wide announcement that we shall be taking off again shortly. No details about the crash were given, save what Mokuba-sama has told me. He said that a few old in-company rivals were out to get his brother, and that they'd failed.

That doesn't really explain things enough for my liking, but it shall have to do… For now.

Maybe I can convince one of the children to tell me the next time one of them drops by to check on Kujaku-san? At the very least, I could ask a few questions about Bakura-san. They seem to know him relatively well, perhaps well enough to help me find him.

\--

Later…

I am pleased to report that Nurse Omi's sprained wrist, while keeping him from assisting me, is most certainly helping him with his quest to win the heart of Nurse Hana. I'm glad for them.

Stop looking at me like that! It's not like I was eavesdropping deliberately! I just happened to wait a little before I opened the door, because I heard voices. Omi-san doesn't need any disturbances when he's trying to ask Hana-san out on a date. I was being tactful.

Sadly, this does mean that Mathews-san will have to give up on his hopes for Hana-san. Or, at least, that's who I think he was walking about when he said he was thinking of asking one of my nurses out on a date. Come to think, his words were rather ambiguous when it came to gender… Not that I find anything wrong with this, if that's his preference, but I can but guess at how Omi-san would react, to either proposal.

Ah, I'm on my break, I can write about possible love triangles, right?

If Mathews-san asks Hana-san out, she'll probably politely refuse, and might tell Omi-san, a person who I once overheard threatening to rip out a person's left kidney via their throat – hardly practical, and certainly not professional, but it was funny at the time – and may therefore attempt to strangle Mathews-san one handed.

If Mathews-san asks Omi-san out, then he may just actually do the ripping out, but possibly not the left kidney.

Don't tell anybody, but there are days that I really do wonder how Omi-san managed to become a nurse, his temper being what it is. Don't get me wrong, he's a wonderful practitioner, and I have often been tempted to ask why he didn't choose to become a doctor, but his temperament is hardly suited to his field of work.

How much sugar did they put in this donut?


	6. I'm Only Human

Dear Journal,

Well, it looks as though Mathews-san did ask one of my staff out, because I overheard Omi-san threatening to, and I quote here, 'gouge out his liver with a plastic spoon and make Mathews-san eat it, and he'd better bloody well enjoy it.' Sadly, I was not able to ascertain from the brief period of time that I was passing the door exactly which of the two nurses Mathews-san has asked to go with him to the movies, and I am not going to ask. Omi-san still did not look pleased when I keyed open the door to check on them.

Well, I say check on them. More like 'make sure that Omi-san wasn't actually going to fulfil any of his threats in the immediate future', than 'make sure that they were both comfortable'.

The finalists in this tournament are off the ship at the moment, with the majority of their friends. This means that, while I don't get any help from Mokuba-sama when some of the guards are being uppity, it also means that there's less interference from the children when I'm looking after Kujaku-san, and, as Ishtal-san is a finalist, it minimises the chances of Rashiid-san being killed on my watch.

This also means that I don't have to be quite so careful when going to check on him, too.

Jounouchi-san's younger sister has chosen to stay on this ship and keep a personal vigil at Kujaku-san's side, and Isis-sama is alternating between Rashiid-san and Kujaku-san as well, so I know they're both being looked after. I've instructed both of them to alert me at once about any chances in either patient's condition.

Now, much as I trust Isis-sama, I am still unaware of Bakura-san's current position – or his current medical state, for that matter. I don't know how bad that wound in his arm is… I just don't know!

Because I still don't know, I have asked one of the guards – no, I'm not planning on learning his name. If I have to know it at some point, I'll find out from his medical records – to do a room-by-room search. I know that Isis-sama said that Bakura-san is quite safe, but this is coming from the woman with a literal maniac for a brother. I'm quite convinced that Ishtar-san knocked me out and took my pass card earlier on this trip. I don't have any proof – yet – but I'm going to take a look at the video from the security cameras.

Actually, it might not be a bad idea to take a look for Bakura-san on the tapes, as well. It may take me a while to work through them, but it'll at least occupy my time.

I'm only human. I can't spend all my time worrying about two of my patients, not when one of them is missing, and I still have to find him.

\--

Later…

Well, I was right. Ishtal-san did knock me out and take my pass card. I was able to find that out pretty quickly. I've got an approximate time for when I blacked out, and I know where I was, to boot.

Of Bakura-san, however, there is no sign. I have to first narrow down the timeframe for his disappearance, and narrow down my search-area. I'm going through the tapes for the room I placed Bakura-san in after his collapse. No luck so far. Mazaki-san is in there with him, and she seems more intent on looking at a necklace at the moment. Bakura-san hasn't mov-

Oh my. I wasn't dreaming, I did see a shadow leave the room! There's a faint shadow, just next to Mazaki-san, and it leaves the room just before I enter! There's me, opening the door, and there's a faint shadow passing me!

Cape? Check. Turban? Check. Ghostlike appearance? Check, check, check. What's going on here? I don't think this blimp is old enough to be haunted, but still… Maybe, after this tournament is over, I'll ask Mokuba-san to look over this tape, to make sure that it's not just me, that I'm not really going crazy.

Away from the possibility of haunted blimps now, I owe the guard in charge of the cameras a cordless drill for her husband's birthday. I'd better write down what make she wanted me to get for him…


	7. Hippocrates, Not Hypocrites

Dear Journal,

I'm still going through the tapes at the moment. The first duel for the semi-finalists is about to being on the top of the Kaiba Corp. tower at the moment, but I'm a little too busy to think about watching that at the moment.

Mazaki-san has collapsed – and I wasn't informed about it, either – and Bakura-san has woken up, and left the room. I'm currently fast-forwarding the corridor tape to the appropriate time-slot.

If my hunch is right, his miraculous recovery may have something to do with that necklace. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes I get this gut instinct, and this is one of those times.

I know. I guess I'm being a little hypocritical. I can remember what I was like back in Med. School. I was always telling my roommate off for following his own 'gut instinct' on a matter. 'Logical thought and rational reasoning is the answer, not some little voice in the back of your head, or coming from your stomach', or something like that, was practically my catchphrase for the first few months.

Of course, after he stopped me from going across the road just before a truck lost control of its brakes and crashed into the car in front of it, I started paying a little bit more attention to my own inner voices. Sometimes it pays off, like when I turned down that E.R. job, then got hired by Kaiba-sama a day later. Sometimes it doesn't pay off.

Back to my original point, I've tracked Bakura-san through three corridors, and into the room that Rashiid was in before. Oh, and by the way, Rashiid-san wasn't there anymore, and Ishtal-san didn't look too happy about it. This must be after Isis-sama moved Rashiid-san. If I'd thought to do this earlier, then I might have found Rashiid-san sooner.

That's… odd. There was a faint burst of yellow light, and Bakura-san was thrown against the wall. It doesn't look like he jarred his arm though…

There's another yellow light around Ishtal-san now, and he's stopped moving. They look like they're talking now…

And there's another shadow beside Bakura-san. It's a little harder to see, that particular corner of the room is rather shadow-filled, but it's definitely there. I can see a little purple, too, and was that a flash of gold?

The camera's got to be malfunctioning. The shadow looks almost exactly like Ishtal-san!

My gut says that it's not malfunctioning, that something strange really is going on here.

Which do I trust?

My watch has gone off. I'd better go and check on my patients. I can only hope that Omi-san hasn't killed Mathews-san yet.

\--

Later…

Nobody's dead yet, although I'd take a guess here and say that this is despite some of Omi-san's best effort in this direction. I have taken the precaution of moving Mathews-san into another room when I saw Omi-san pointedly set aside the spoon Hana-san gave him for his pudding. I have not informed Omi-san of where this room is, and I have ordered him to get some proper bed rest. It really does help the healing process, and I have a feeling that he'll need to help soon, sprained wrist or no sprained wrist.

He was still awake but yawning when I left the room, so I guess the sedative I had Hana-san mix into his soup is starting to work.

Isis-sama has taken over from Shizuka-san – Katsuya Jounouchi-san's younger sister – for keepin watch over Kujaku-san. I'm going to increase my visits to Rashiid-san because of this.

Now back to the video tap-


	8. It Never Rains, But It Pours

Dear Journal,

I may have to wait on finding Bakura-san. I've got a more immediate problem: Jounouchi-san is in a coma!

Can't write more now. Will do so when I have more details.

\--

Later…

He's got some very interesting burns. In fact, this whole scenario reminds me rather intensely of Kujaku-san's case, - he was even Dueling Ishtal-san! - which would be all fine and dandy, if it weren't for one thing.

His condition is critical. I've got him on a respirator, and hooked up to a heart monitor, but it's like he's just… slipping from my grasp.

And now Mokuba-sama tells me that we can't contact the mainland. I can't get word out for a Medical team to get here quickly. This boy should be in a hospital! Well-trained as I am, I can't do very much for him. We just don't have the equipment needed to handle this sort of thing!

His sister and friends are in here with me. I don't think they can read my handwriting either. Well, most of his friends. I just saw Motou-san leave the room. He looked like he was ready to bite somebody's head off.

Mental note: Don't let Motou-san and Nurse Omi stay in the same room for too long. They might a) kill each other, or b) compare notes. Not that I'm saying that Motou-san is homicidal, but when a person is in the mood he's in at the moment, I would hesitate to put them under any stress. And as Motou-san is Dueling Kaiba-sama next, he doesn't need any more aggravation. Quite frankly, I'd be quaking in my boots if I were in his place, without the Jounouchi-san problem.

Speaking of Omi-san, I've put him on light duties. He's to look after Kujaku-san, and inform me of any changes. Meanwhile, I've asked Hana-san to stay with Jounouchi-san and give me regular updates on his status, whenever I need to leave the room, such as to check in on Rashiid-san, make sure that Omi-san hasn't managed to sneak away and kill Mathews-san, or ask Mokuba-sama how the repairs to the transmitter are going.

I've written for long enough. I should be paying more attention to Jounouchi-san. It's just that I tend to figure things out easier if I write them down.

\--

Later…

Jounouchi-san's condition is currently stable, but I don't think he's out of the woods yet, to borrow an English phrase. And besides, as my old teacher used to say, "Saying that somebody is stable doesn't necessarily mean a thing. Saying that somebody is stable is to say that there is no change in that person's condition. Dead is stable, if you were to look at it like that. There is no active change to be found in death, only that passive. In fact, a person is only ever really stable if they are dead. In all other cases, there will always be some change, no matter how minute, which may or may not prove to be important."

He was a very boring lecturer, always tended to waffle on a bit, but I will admit that he did have a point.

Ah, I'm the one waffling now. Back to the point of this entry, Mokuba-sama tells me that they just sent off a message to the mainland, requesting a medical team for Jounouchi-san. I just hope that it actually got through.

…What does Honda-san think he's doing, picking up Jounouchi-san like that? He's injured!

I'm going to have to deal with this.

\--

Later…

Why did I apologise to my journal?

Never mind. Honda-san refuses to replace Jounouchi-san on the bed, and I have no doubt that he could turn just as violent as Omi-san if provoked. Stern look didn't work. 'Doctor's orders' line didn't work. Combining the stern look and the 'Doctor's orders' probably isn't going to work either. So, I've given up – for now. For now at least, it's back to the drawing board.

In the meantime, I'm taking a serious rain check on the security camera checking. Pun kind of intended.

I'd just really like to know where Bakura-san got to, and I can't ask the camera guard for any more favours. Even if I am getting her husband the cordless drill.

\--


	9. Kak, kak, ada monster!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title (Bahasa Indonesia): Brother, brother, there's a monster!

Dear Journal,

It is said that being a good person means that you can look into a mirror and not wince at what you see reflected there.

Well, there aren't any mirrors around here, but I'm certainly wincing.

It's the glare from that light. It came from the top of the tower, where Kaiba-sama is currently Dueling Motou-san.

Oh, didn't I mention that light before? It started about the time that Honda-san picked up Jounouchi-san and dragged him to the window, so I will admit that I was a trifle preoccupied at the time.

Speaking of Honda-san, I still have not managed to get him to return Jounouchi-san to his hospital bed. The only good thing that I can say about the current arrangement is that the more vital monitors are still attached to Jounouchi-san's personage. If they weren't, I would have ordered one of the security guards to forcibly remove Honda-san from the room.

Actually, that's still an option. I could get the one who's just come into the room to do that-

\--

Later…

Mokuba-sama has just sent one of the security guards down to tell me that the mainland did receive our distress call, and are sending a medical team and some mechanics right away. They should be here soon, which is good.

I have decided against asking this new security guard to deal with Honda-san.

Okay, so I didn't exactly have much choice in the matter. He just gave me Mokuba-sama's message, and explained that the P.A. system was on the blink, possibly due to the engineer's inventive forms of repair. In other words, they borrowed a few wires to rebuild the radio, and the engineer isn't quite sure which decks are out of commission. He's apparently a specialist in travel, not communication.

In any case, the guard left rather quickly, presumably to avoid having me tell him to drop in on Mathews-san. I gather that he's not too popular around here.

\--

Later…

The light has faded a little now and I can hear the distant chopping noise of a helicopter. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking. We are quite a way off from the mainland, and they'd have to be going at speeds not recommended for that particular aircraft to reach here so quickly.

Am I going crazy, or did Jounouchi-san react when the light started to go down? He's being held up in front of the window, and I'm sure I just heard him groan.

I'm just going to get a little closer, see what's going on over-

\--

Later…

My hunch was correct: Jounouchi-san did groan. In fact, he's coming to!

\--

Later…

It seems that I was right earlier, when I wrote that I could hear the distant sound of a helicopter. It's just landed, and the medical team are almost here.

But I fear they arrive too late to do anything.

Jounouchi-san, strange as it is, has made a full recovery in the wake of that strange light.

What this is going to do for my reputation amongst the emergency medics, I have no idea.

In any case, I've sent them to look after Kujaku-san and Rashiid-san. That ought to keep them preoccupied enough.

That can't be possible, can it? I'm sure I'm not seeing things right.

There can't possibly be a giant red dragon winding itself around the tower, can there? Nor is it likely that there's a giant blue creature standing up so tall as to almost touch the clouds… or is it?

When I was a child, my father used to read me bedtime stories. I used to love all the old tales, but particularly the ones about Dragons. It didn't matter where they were from, as long as it had a Dragon in it. St. George and the Dragon was different from all the others, because the dragon was big and bulky, not smooth and sleek like the ones in the pictures here. The Hobbit's Smaug didn't truly count in my book. Sigurd the Dragonslayer was my favourite western tale, because the picture of the dragon was so much like the Chinese image – closer to snake than flying lizard.

It is Sigurd's dragon that I see now, sleek and dangerous, but not green as it was in the Nordic myth, instead a brilliant red.

I-it's a monster!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had originally been called 'Once More, With Feeling' in my worddoc copy, but I ended up posting this just after the Boxing Day Tsunami.
> 
> So I broke out my Indonesian textbook, and found a poem I once had to learn for class, and used that for a title instead. Which, incidentally, helped me add more to the story itself. I can't remember what was once written here, it was so long ago.


	10. sum non demens!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title (Latin): I'm not crazy!

Dear Journal,

If I don't believe in something, then it doesn't exist. If I don't believe in something, then it doesn't exist. If I don't believe in something, then it doesn't exist…

Nope! Not working! The dragon's still there!

Okay, okay, I've got to stop looking out the window. Find something else to do… preferably something that isn't near any windows…

-

Later…

I'm calm, I'm calm.

Mathews-san is asleep. What sort of a security guard is he? He sleeps through helicopters landing, and people rushing up and down corridors-

-

Later…

Oh. Right then.

Hana-san tells me that she gave Mathews-san a sedative. It's probably a blessing, really. This way I don't have to listen to him asking me for dating advice. Kami-sama, do I look like I'm married? And let me tell you, the thing about women going for doctors all the time is a complete and utter myth.

Speaking of sedatives, Omi-san is also fast asleep. You'd think he'd learn not to have the soup, wouldn't you? But this one is definitely a blessing. We don't require his presence at the moment, and he really should be resting that wrist of his.

After all this madness is over, and we're back on the mainland, I'm going to ask Kaiba-sama for some leave. I think I need it. Just a few days when I can drink coffee in the mornings, and not worry about my hands shaking when I'm doing surgery.

A few days – no, I think I'll ask for two weeks – when I can just relax, and not worry about the possibility that one of my nurses is a homicidal maniac.

Two weeks… That shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?

Yeah. I'll do it.

And it I chicken out when I'm actually looking at Kaiba-sama… Well, it won't be my fault; he's just got such an authoritarian air!

Maybe I could get Mokuba-sama to ask for me? Drop a few hints, that sort of thing. But would that be fair?

Hm. Something to ponder about.

But I don't think it'll last long enough for me to stop thinking about that drago- Oh, bother.

-

Later…

I can do this. There aren't any windows pointing towards the tower in this part of the blimp, everything should be fine.

I'm going to finish looking through those security camera tapes.

Just as soon as I find the kami-sama forsaken things.

-

Later…

I am not going crazy. I know that most other people in my position would be, but I'm not, I swear it.

See? I'm not talking to myself, I'm writing everything down instead.

I'm not going crazy.

I just can't find those blasted security tapes, that's all.

Read these words.

I'm. Not. Going. Senile. I know they're around here somewhere… I'm just not quite sure where.

I did ask that camera guard – you remember her; I owe her husband a cordless drill – and she said that, no, she hadn't taken them back, and she didn't think that anybody else had been in here.

What's going on here?

Ever since this trip started, strange things have been happening… and I'm not quite sure I want to find out how or why.

Actually, I'm not too keen on finding out who, either. Something tells me that this would be a supremely Bad Idea.


	11. aegis in draconis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title (Latin): On the wings of a dragon

Dear Journal,

Nope, before you ask, the tapes still haven't been found. Fun, isn't it? I'm practically pulling my hair out, while one of my patients is missing, two of them are in comas, and one of them is running around outside ads though nothing happened. Meanwhile, one of my nurses is injured, and I think is plotting the death of a security guard, who's also injured.

And Hana-san wonders why I'm taking a break to write this down. I don't think I could handle this otherwise. I mean, this is getting ridiculous! I feel like I'm stuck in one of those impossible cartoons that my niece and nephew watch!

While I will admit that Gundam Wing is very good, the physics involved in the mobile suits just don't work at all, and nobody should be able to pull the sorts of stunts that Heero Yuy seems to thrive on.

Onto more pressing matters, at least in terms of my well being, Kaiba-sama just lost his duel to Motou-san, so I don't think I'll be asking him for a holiday directly any time soon, although I may drop one or two hints to Mokuba-sama.

So, to sum up, no, I'm not having a good day. I'm seeing dragons (that's all stopped now, but that isn't the point), I've been back-talked by a teenager (even if his theory did work and the glowy-light-thing from the top of the tower really was the reason that Jounouchi-san woke up), and I've started to consider you the only sane thing on this blimp (with the possible exception of Mokuba-sama).

I've done it again, haven't I?

You are a journal. You are an inanimate object. You're incapable of thought, let alone rational and sane thought.

…And I'm addressing you with a pronoun. Next thing you know, I'll give you a name and-

…I think I'd better stop now.

Mazaki-san just walked past, I wonder if she's looking for something.

\--

Later…

Well, that was rather rude.

I asked her if she wanted something, and she ignored me completely. She just walked past me. I even called out a little louder, but she just ignored me!

Oh well, I guess that considering what she's been through recently, she's allowed to be a little rude. Maybe she was just too preoccupied to hear me?

Back to business.

The helicopter medics that I've got looking after Rashiid-san tell me that he seems to be recovering a trifle. In other words, he made a noise about five minutes ago. Now they're trying to figure out why.

Kujaku-san's medics tell me that her condition is still critical, and she's showing no sign of coming out of that coma. If anything, she seems to be deteriorating, and they're all as confused about it as I am. So, it's good news on one front, and bad news on the other.

Is this what they call karma? Because if it is, I'm not too impressed.

\--

Later…

One of my former patients is out dueling against, of all people, Kaiba-sama! Yep, it's Jounouchi-san again. Joy. I'm feeling like more of a prize idiot with every passing second over here.

Omi-san is doing fine. The sedative is keeping him under. I must remember to thank Hana-san for that – not in Nurse Omi's hearing of course, otherwise he's likely to… Oh, I don't know, but it probably wouldn't be pleasant. Mathews-san is also still unconscious. This is still a blessing. Maybe Hana-san would appreciate a present? Or perhaps a small medal? For saving our sanity, maybe?

Hm. We'll have to see about that.

The window that I'm sitting by at the moment is giving me a very impressive view of the duel between Jounouchi-san and Kaiba-sama though. No prizes for guessing whose side I'm on.

After all, if Kaiba-sama wins, he might be in a better mood. And Jounouchi-san would lose, which would mean I'd be proven right, in that he shouldn't be doing physical activity so soon after the condition he was in. Considering what he was like, merely standing up should be currently classified as a heavy physical activity, and those holograms actually pack a pretty powerful punch. However, I can only assume that Kaiba-sama has got the safeties on, so things should be all right.

Yep. Really need that holiday.


	12. ludorum rex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title (Latin): The King of Games

Dear Journal,

Well, Kaiba-sama won the duel against Jounouchi-san. Maybe he'll be in a good enough mood to grant me some leave?

I certainly hope so!

In any case, Motou-san and Ishtal-san are having the final duel at the moment. Fingers crossed for the little guy winning! Ishtal-san certainly won't like losing, but he'll deserve it all right… knocking me out like that…

\--

Later…

Things are starting to get weird. Rashiid-san just up and left his room. I checked with the medics I stationed there. Turns out they all decided to go looking for a cup of coffee at the same time. Very unprofessional. I'll be having a word with their supervisor later. There is simply no excuse for negligence like that.

Well, in the meantime, my patient has gone missing again.

Wonderful.

I expect the sky to fall on my head any minute now.

The traditional 'pair of smoking boots', anybody?

I'd better go and send out security to look for him… again…

Do you think I'm becoming a little bit jaded here?

\--

Later…

The little guy won! Hooray! Now we can get off this kami-sama-forsaken island, back to civilisation, and I can start begging Kaiba-sama for that holiday.

In other, equally important news, both Rashiid-san and Bakura-san have turned up, safe, and not too much the worse for wear, according to my preliminary check-up. Best of all, Kujaku-san has woken up! She's in the clear! I can start to breathe again.

Even if, for some reason, she wants me to pretend that she's still under. I think I heard she and Jounouchi-san's sister talking earlier about an 'evil joke', of some sort. No doubt, they're going to give Jounouchi-san a bit of a scare. Perhaps I should stay in the room and watch? I think I certainly deserve to, when you consider how much of a scare he's given me during our stay here.

Of course, possibly the best part out of all this is the fact that it's now only a matter of time until this blimp is fixed, and we all get back to Domino, until I can have a nice, steaming, wonderful cup of coffee…

Yes! Excellent!

\--

Later…

Dear Diary.

I promised myself that I wasn't going to call you that, but this is the sort of moment that deserves a sappy beginning like that.

Dear Diary,

I've seen many things in my nineteen-odd years as a doctor. I've seen people born, I've seen patients die, and I'm pretty sure I've even seen most of what happens in between.

I've watched people with cancer live long and full lives, and I've seen children die before their true time.

I've seen crippled walk, and athletes collapse.

I've seen most of it, and treated it all to the best of my ability. There's always more to see though, always something different, always new advances being made, information being discovered…

I've been tempted, a few times, in the dead of night, when a patient I've been treating has passed away, to give it up, to hang up my stethoscope and go home, and then…

Then I saw another live, against all the odds, and I realised that, come what may, the ups and the downs have to be taken as they come.

It's not that there's just a light at the end of the tunnel. It's that, sometimes, that light isn't really a train coming straight for you.

Jounouchi-san is fine. He's energetic, even. Bouncy.

I'm still treating Rashiid-san for some of his more severe burns, but I expect him to make a full and complete recovery in short order. I'm taking advantage of this opportunity to treat him for exhaustion. Turns out he went all the way to the top of that damned tower, too. In his condition!

I've also arranged to have Ishtal-san treated for exhaustion, and have urged Isis-sama to get him to see a specialist for his apparent psychosis. She has assured me that he will, and I accept her word.

Kujaku-san appears to be fully recovered, which is leaving me entirely confused.

Possibly the strangest of all of this is the mysterious return of Bakura Ryou from wherever he was hiding. I've given him a complete examination, and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with him. Even the cut on his arm seems to be healing well – perhaps a little too quickly, but there is no sign of any infection. He certainly appears to be utterly healthy. If it weren't for the few, oddly lost moments that he had while I was examining him, I'd say there was nothing wrong with him. He's in the peak of physical health, though he refuses to tell me about where he was, and how he avoided being found by the security teams.

The only people who remain injured from this little field-trip-of-terrors are Omi-san and Mathews-san.

They received normal, average, everyday, human injuries. They weren't struck by lightning that shouldn't have been there, they weren't suddenly flung into comas, they just took a step at the wrong moment on this blimp.

Is it just me, or is there something strange in itself about that?

\--

Much later…

I've finally found you.

It's been a very long time since I looked at these pages. Nigh on three years, in fact. Looking back, I still can't believe that any of this ever really happened, but at least now I have you to remind me that they did. My own little bit of proof.

Perhaps I should fill up this last page?

Yes, I think that would be best.

Don't think that I would leave this tale unfinished, the ending needs to be told, and you, m diary, seem to almost be begging to know what happened after Battle City.

I… I'm not sure why I'm telling you this. I'm not sure why… But… It's almost as though you want the last page to be filled. You want the story to end, just as you called to me when I first saw you, to pick you up, to buy you…

To write in this journal, to record those events, a dairy of happenings, stranger than fiction…

Hm…

Omi married Hana, and they had two boys and a little girl. They still work for Kaiba Corp, although not always with me.

Gregory Mathews went on to become Mokuba Kaiba's personal bodyguard, but was fired when he hit on one of Mokuba's teachers.

The husband of the guard in charge of security cameras on the blimp got an XU1 Cordless Drill for his birthday.

And as for me? I got that holiday that I was after. Kaiba-sama agreed that I could do with a break. Three whole weeks! It was pure bliss.

Later on, I wrote an essay about comas, and was laughed out of the scientific community. I still work for Seto Kaiba however, on the proviso that I never make public the events aboard the Battle City Blimp.

But who'd believe me anyway?

\--

The contents of this diary are classified, and not to be released to the public. The consequences of any possible public knowledge of the aforementioned events are far too terrible to be considered.

Signed:

-Name blanked out for security reasons-

**Author's Note:**

> Tetanus: Also known as lockjaw, tetanus is an acute infectious disease. Bacteria cause the muscles to spasm and convulse, often resulting in the freezing of jaw muscles, hence its second name. Without treatment, tetanus can result in death.


End file.
